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5 June 2025

Environmental Indicators Dashboard
Climate Change, Circular Economy, Energy, Biodiversity, Water and Footprints

Main results

  • Greenhouse gas emissions per inhabitant decreased by 6.6% in Spain in 2023. They have fallen 34.3% since 2008.
  • In 2023, the economy reduced the use of materials per unit of GDP by 5.8%. It had fallen 53.6% since in 2008, compared to the European average of 28.4%.
  • Total final consumption of household energy increased by 0.06% in 2022. It has decreased by 4.4% since 2015.
  • The percentage of cropland being farmed organically increased by 15.5% in 2023, reaching 12.5%.
  • Surface water was the main source of water in 2022, accounting for 66.4% of the total.
  • Spain's carbon footprint increased by 6.2% in 2022 compared to the previous year.

More information

The Environmental Indicator Dashboard is a dynamic tool that is constantly being updated. From this edition onwards, two new blocks are now included: Water and Footprints. The Panel therefore includes 50 indicators on Climate Change, Circular Economy, Energy, Biodiversity, Water and Footprints, an increase of 11 indicators compared to the previous edition.

For context, the evolution of the indicators in Spain is compared with the European Union (EU-27) average where available.

Climate change

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from resident units per capita fell by 6.6% in Spain in 2023 and by 6.9% in the EU.

In the last 16 years these emissions have been reduced by 34.3% in Spain and by 28.8% in the European Union.

Greenhouse gas emissions from resident units per capita (equivalent tonnes of CO2 per capita)

Circular Economy

The consumption of materials per GDP decreased in 2023 compared to the previous year by 5.8%, reaching 318.2 tonnes per million euros. This is 53.6% lower than in 2008. The European series has also declined, but to a lesser extent (2.7% and 28.4%, respectively).

Domestic material consumption per GDP (tonnes per million euros)

Energy

Final consumption of household energy per capita reached 27.66 Gigajoules per inhabitant (GJ/inhab) in 2022, a decrease of 4.4% compared to 2015. Oil derivatives were the main energy product, accounting for 59.9% of the total.

Per capita household final consumption (Gigajoules per capita)

Biodiversity and Ecosystems

The share of cropland being farmed organically in Spain reached 12.5% in 2023, 15.5% more than in 2022. Since 2000, it has increased by 11 points.

Proportion of cropland where organic farming is practised

(Percentage)

Water

The volume of water collection increased by 5.2% in 2022 compared to 2020, with a 3.4 point increase in the contribution of water from desalination.

Surface water is the main source of water throughout the observed period. In 2022 it accounted for 66.4% of total uptake.

Sources of water (Percentage)

Footprints

This indicator measures per capita GHG emissions resulting from final consumption and investment. In 2022, Spain's carbon footprint increased by 6.2% compared to the previous year, compared to the European average of 3.6%.

Since 2010, the national footprint has fallen by 15.7%, compared to 14.8% in the EU.

Carbon footprint (Tonnes CO2 equivalent per capita)

Methodological note

The Environmental Indicators portal is intended to provide an overview of the different indicators published by INE on biodiversity, climate change, circular economy, energy and water. This project makes it possible to quantify and monitor the objectives set on the basis of the 50 indicators published, with full freedom to incorporate new indicators as new needs for measuring the different environmental aspects are detected.

Each section of the portal includes a main panel divided into sub-panels with interactive graphs that show the evolution of the indicators, the description of each indicator, results tables and metadata. This information can be downloaded.

Many of the indicators produced by the INE provide information for measuring the objectives of the European Green Pact, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the European Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2030, the RePowerEU Plan and the Spanish Circular Economy Strategy. This series of experimental statistics is inspired by the desire to monitor these objectives through indicators that can reflect the national position on an annual basis in comparison with the trends of the European average.

Type of operation:
Drawing up of summary and analysis with results from various sources.
Population scope:
Spanish economy as a whole.
Geographical scope:
National territory and the European Union.
Reference period:
since this is a statistic that combines a multitude of sources, each of the indicators has a different reference period. The most current indicators refer to the year 2024.
Disaggregation variables:
depending on the statistic from which the indicator is derived.
Dissemination frequency:
Ongoing from 2024, updated quarterly.

For further information, please consult the technical project.

INE statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Good Practice for European Statistics. More information in Quality in the INE and Code of Good Practices.

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